Sunday 19 and 26 February 2012, 2pm - 9pm:

at ohrenhoch, and via live stream on ohrenhoch.tv

Home
(2012, Premiere)
Interactive sound installation
by Chelsea Leventhal

Tesla T65s telephones with Arduino Uno and Waveshield, 1-channel audio.

Chelsea Leventhal on 'Home':
'Home' is a sound installation that explores the feelings of isolation and connection inherent in telephone conversation. The original hardware of each rotary telephone has been hacked and connected to a microprocessor, allowing artificial control of the phone’s original functions. The original bell of each phone is supplied with uneven bursts of electrical current, resulting in a ringing that is listless and stuttering, driven by a stubborn external force. When the visitor answers the phone and holds the receiver to their ear, they hear one side of a conversation from an anonymous individual on the other end of the line. Lacking context for these fragments, a certain type of paralysis ensues, as the visitor is unable to understand or respond. Home is a forged representation of communication, a reflection of comfort and disappointment.

I would like to thank Martin Schied and Georg Morawietz for their technical assistance.Additional thanks to Daniel Furuta and Kimberly Meenan.

Knut Remond had a talk with Chelsea Leventhal about her sound installation "Home".
The interview as a beautiful booklet, illustrated by Knut Remond, is available at 'ohrenhoch' in a small edition.
"...eigentlich ist es eine Komposition, aber ich habe das sehr spannend gefunden, mit Strom zu komponieren statt mit Noten." Chelsea Leventhal